Thursday, July 14, 2011

Handgun review: Hi-point cf 380

Lots of people are interested in shooting, but get turned off the first time they see a price tag on a Sig Sauer pistol. Experienced shooters know you get your moneys worth, but what about someone looking to get there foot in the door and own a pistol without dropping a G spot on a gun they have never handled. Many would say you'd be out of luck, and only "junk" pistols run the $100-$200 range, But this is just brand favortism at it's best. The truth is Hi-Point of Ohio offer a solid, American made product that fits the budget niche quiet well.

Offering handguns in various calibers, today we'll be looking at there CF series, and the CF 380 in particular. While many people will tell you how under powered the cartridge is, it is a great platform to learn the basics of handgunning and build confidence, without putting up with brisk recoil or expensive ammunition.

The Hi-point CF380 is a medium-sized handgun with a Polymer frame and a two-tone steel slide. It has a single-stack, 8 round magazine, and comes with 2 sighting configurations, a standard three dot sight and a optional ghost ring rear sight. The gun is heavier and larger than most .380 ACP pistols, making recoil management easy for shooters of all sizes. It has a 1911-style magazine release along with a slide safety and internal drop safety.

I have put roughly 400 rounds of assorted ammunition through mine, and for plinking it prefers FMJ's, but has never had a hiccup with any "premium-defense" ammunition. Accuracy is nothing amazing, but if you do your part it is more then capable of accurate shots as far as 50 yards. At the distance of 7 to 15 yards, it is extremely accurate and capaple of rapid follow-up shots. Failures have only occured from the magazine not being seated correctly, a problem all handguns are faced with.

Many people like to dismiss Hi-points as "toy guns" or "throw-away" guns, dogging on there price-point and performance. Most of these people have never shot one, and simply being elitist who feel anything but a glock is useless, and hi-points are for criminals. Dismiss these people, as they have never owned a Hi-point, and i have watched far more expensive guns hiccup and jam as my Hi-point worked flawlessly, normally upsetting the owner of the $800 Euro owner, who simply can't believe a affordable handgun exists.

Hi-points can be found from about $140 new all the way down to $60 for a used one. Many people are skeptical of used guns, but have no worries with Hi-points. All of there firearms have a TRUE lifetime warranty, where all one must do is ship is to Ohio and the wonderful folks at Hi-point will fix it up no questions asked. Heck of a deal for less then $200, and at that price you don't have to worry about roughing up the finish or dropping it and scuffing it.